Sport: Local and national sport in and around Watford - Watford Observer

Watford vs Barnsley

• Kick off: 3:00pm Sat 12 Sep 09
• Referee: David Phillips
• Venue: Vicarage Road

Final score:

Watford 1 - 0 Barnsley

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90:00: In the context of what seems to be an ever-lengthening list of difficult weeks for Watford, that is a great first home win of the campaign with the nice bonus of a first league clean sheet thrown in. Make no mistake about it, this was far more comprehensive than the scoreline suggests and was deserving of at least one more goal. Thanks for joining us again this afternoon and we'll be back with you at Plymouth on Tuesday night.

90:00: Final whistle And that's it. A thoroughly deserved three points for Watford!

90:00: Bennett blots an otherwise impressive full debut by picking up a needless yellow card for kicking the ball away.

90:00: Vintage from the 'Duke'. Ellington advances into the left-side of the area, Barnsley back off, and the substitutes hits a rising left-footed cross-shot that beats Preece but rebounds to safety off the face of his crossbar.

90:00: Terrific ovation for Cleverley as he is replaced by Ellington for the closing stages.

89:00: Almost game over. A good spell from the home side almost ends in style as Jenkins nearly catches Preece out with a left-footed strike from the edge of the area.

85:00: Doyley makes a superb challenge to prevent Gray from getting on the end of a cross-shot and having a straightforward chance. Watford are not exactly holding on but they are under more pressure than at any other point in the game.

85:00: Substitution Lansbury's good afternoon comes to an end as he is replaced by Jon Harley.

80:00: Gray fires a speculative effort from the edge of the area wide, but Watford still look comfortable.

79:00: Substitution Substitute Odejayi suffers the ignominy of being replaced by Iain Hume.

72:00: The visitors win their first corner of the match. Devaney turns it goalwards but no concerns for Loach.

71:00: So close. Cleverley steps away from a challenge and tries a right-footed curler that goes narrowly wide of Preece's right-hand post, with the keeper beaten.

70:00: A rare bit of activity for Loach. The Hornets keeper has to go down at his near post to hold Gray's long-range effort from outside the area.

68:00: Fantastic ball from Lansbury inside Moore to find Jenkins near the byline, and his cross could easily have been turned into his own net by Foster. Instead he concedes the home side's ninth corner.

64:00: Confirmation of today's attendance - 12,613 of which 623 are officially supporting the visitors.

62:00: The impressive Lansbury sees a shot from the edge of the area blocked and then Hodson chances his arm from the right side of the area, but hits the side netting.

60:00: The corner count rises to 8-0 in the Hornets' favour but it comes to nothing.

56:00: So nearly a second. Graham is released in the area, he cuts inside his man before trying to place the ball wide of Preece, but the Barnsley keeper does well to narrow the angle.

54:00: Barnsley completely switch off at a set-piece and pay the price. Cowie's clipped free-kick picks out Eustace, who is totally unmarked at the far post, he heads back across goal, Lansbury looks like he will score but Graham converts from barely two yards out for his fourth of the season.

54:00: Goal! It's that man Graham again!

53:00: Watford pick up from where they left off in the first half. Cowie shoots over and then Eustace has a shot blocked.

52:00: Substitution That blow proved too painful for Campbell-Ryce to continue. He has replaced by Adam Hammill.

48:00: It looks like Mark Robins has had some words at the interval. Campbell-Ryce tries a shot from the right side of the area, it is blocked by Doyley and rebounds back into the face of the Barnsley winger. Ouch!

47:00: Best chance of the game so far for the visitors. Hassell crosses deep from the right but Odejayi is unable to keep his header at the far post down.

45:00: Off we go at the start of the second half. No further changes for either side at the break.

45:00: Half time Watford clearly the better side but it's goalless at the break.

45:00: A pre-planned free kick doesn't come off as Lansbury passes to Eustace but his cross is hot straight out of play

45:00: Some nice build up from Watford see Lansbury brought down right on the edge of the box

44:00: Emil Hallfredsson has plenty of time to compose himself but he shot wide from 20 yards

42:00: Yellow card Martin Devaney is booked also soon after

40:00: Yellow card Da Silva is booked for a foul on Lansbury

38:00: A poorly timed tackle by Mariappa results in a Barnsley free kick out wide but no one can get on the end of it

36:00: Hodson's corner is just over the top of the arriving Lansbury's head

35:00: Watford are on top and a curling cross from Cleverley is headed wide by Eustace, although the midfielder would have done well to score with his head from 18 yards

33:00: Another Cowie corner is cleared by Barnsley

32:00: Graham is played in behind but his ball across goal was cut out by Foster before Lansbury arrived

28:00: Substitution New Barnsley boss Mark Robins doesn't seem to be scared to make bid decisions early on. He has taken off holding midfielder Thompson and brought on the big striker Odejayi. So now the visitors have gone with two up top

27:00: Da Silva's free kick was smashed into the wall and after a decent dribble from the midfielder, Bennett clears

26:00: Barnsley have a throw deep into Watford's half and although Bennett got up well to clear, Jenkins gave away a free kick 22 yards out

21:00: Lansbury arrives at Hodson's cross first but his header is blocked by the Barnsley defender

18:00: Preece came to punch the resulting corner but couldn't make contact and Mariappa headed wide

17:00: A quick break from Watford sees Cowie cross for Graham at the back post but his touch was heavy and it was cleared for a corner

14:00: Watford have a corner but Cowie's cross is cleared by Barnsley

9:00: Barnsley venture into Watford's half for the first time but Campbell-Ryce's cross was cut out by Bennett

8:00: After slow build up from Watford, Lansbury has a go from 25 yards but his rising shot was never going to trouble Preece

6:00: Watford have been the brighter of the two sides so far as the game starts with a high tempo

5:00: After Danny Graham had a previous shot blocked, a quick free kick, similar to the goal at Swansea, saw Graham force Preece into his first save

1:00: We have kicked off and Watford won a free kick deep into Barnsley's half within 30 seconds but nothing came of it

0:00: It is something of an afternoon for firsts. Dale Bennett makes his first start for Watford, this, of course, is Mark Robins' first game in charge of Barnsley and David Phillips completes a treble to refereeing his first game at this level.

0:00: Confirmed team news and it's not encouraging. Skipper Jay DeMerit has failed to shake off the groin injury he sustained while away with the USA and so, with no loan signings made in time, youngster Dale Bennett makes his first senior start alongside new captain Adrian Mariappa. Malky Mackay’s other adjustment from the side that was pegged back to a 1-1 draw by a last-gasp equaliser at Swansea City sees John Eustace came in for Marvin Sordell. The consequence of that is Henri Lansbury is pushed up from central midfield to play as a support striker off Danny Graham. New Barnsley boss Mark Robins, meanwhile, has made no fewer than five changes from the 3-1 home defeat to Reading that cost Simon Davey his job. David Preece replaces Luke Steele in goal, while Bobby Hassell, Watford old boy Martin Devaney, Anderson Da Silva and O’Neil Thompson are also included at the expense of Hugo Colace, Mounir El Haimour, Daniel Bogdanovic and Jon Macken. Watford: Loach; Hodson, Bennett, Mariappa, Doyley; Cleverley, Jenkins, Eustace, Cowie; Lansbury; Graham. Substitutes: Harley, Lee, Hoskins, Ellington, Bryan, Sordell, Oshodi. Barnsley: Preece; Kozluk, Moore, Foster, Hassell; Campbell-Ryce, Hallfredsson, Da Silva, Devaney; Thompson, Gray. Substitutes: Colace, Hume, Odejayi, Macken, El Haimour, Hammill, Rusling.

0:00: Good afternoon and welcome to a warm and sunny Vicarage Road as Watford get back to action after the international break by taking on the Championship's basement boys Barnsley.

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